Eddie Alvarez has yet to make his UFC debut, but he already has his eyes set on a future opponent. Alvarez said once he gets past Donald Cerrone at UFC 178, he hopes to face Gilbert Melendez with the lightweight championship on the line.
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Of course, Melendez would have to beat current champion Anthony Pettis in December for that scenario to come true. And that's exactly what Alvarez is hoping for.
"I hope Melendez beats Pettis," Alvarez told MMAFighting.com. "Nothing against Pettis, but I want Melendez to win that fight. I want to beat Donald and then finally get my hands on Melendez with the title up for grabs. Best of all worlds."
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Alvarez was a two-time lightweight champion for Bellator MMA before joining the UFC in August. He and Melendez, the former long-time Strikeforce champ, were considered to be two of the best fighters outside of the UFC. Now that they're fighting for the same promotion, they have traded barbs with each other through the media when asked about the prospect of facing one another.
"I feel he's fallen off the past couple years, to be honest," Melendez said of Alvarez recently. "Maybe our paths will cross now. And I'm so not scared at all if that's the case."
Alvarez didn't take to kindly to those comments.
"Oh, is that what he thinks?" he said. "Tell you what, I think Diego Sanchez must have really landed good with those uppercuts when they fought last year, if that's the case. He must still be feeling them."
Melendez will face Pettis for the title on Dec. 6 at UFC 181. Alvarez's fight against Cerrone on Sept. 27 will likely determine the next No. 1 contender for the championship, so if everything goes Alvarez's way he and Melendez will be able to settle their differences in the octagon soon.
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